chapter09
“Whatever they give you, don’t say a word—just bring it back to me. And never open what’s inside.”
Two days after sending Lucian to the Kanzyle Company, Ioret sent him there again.
When he returned, he was carrying a box nearly three times larger than the one he had taken.
Sensing that something was off, his expression had already darkened before he even entered the bedroom.
“I’ll open it. Please step back.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Ioret snatched the dagger from Lucian and sliced through the ropes binding the box in one swift motion.
As the ropes fell away, the box began to shake on its own.
“Princess, get back—!”
Just as Lucian stepped in front of her, the box burst open in all directions.
“……!”
From inside, someone sprang upright. At the same instant, Lucian drew his sword.
“Sir Perein, stop!”
The blade rushing toward the intruder’s neck faltered—not because of Ioret’s words.
Human? No… she blocked it?
What emerged from the box was a young girl with deep golden-brown hair.
She was blocking Lucian’s sword with a pair of tailoring scissors.
There was no presence at all. Not even the sound of breathing…!
One could tell just from the clash—this girl wasn’t a trained spy or hidden expert. Yet her strength was absurdly powerful.
The veins on the back of her hand bulged as she held the scissors.
With tremendous force, she knocked Lucian’s sword aside, then immediately dashed toward Ioret.
“Tch!”
Lucian swung his sword toward the girl’s completely exposed neck. If Ioret hadn’t shouted, her head would have been severed instantly.
“Stop, Sir Perein! She’s my friend!”
The girl leapt into Ioret’s arms, rubbing her cheek against hers like a puppy seeking affection.
“Bara… it is you, isn’t it? You’ve grown so much.”
The girl nodded vigorously, then began rummaging through the bundle of cards hanging around her neck.
[Princess]
[Bara] [Remember]
[Happy]
[Thank you]
[I missed you]
[I waited]
[Joy]
[!]
Beaming, the girl silently mouthed her words.
“Princess, Bara remembers. I’m happy. Thank you.”
“…You too.”
Ioret steadied her trembling voice.
“You remembered me as well.”
The Kanzyle couple had been among her mother’s few trusted confidants.
Their daughter, Bara, had followed them into the queen’s palace since she was an infant.
One day in the past, Bara had been on the brink of death from a severe fever, and Ioret’s mother had treated her.
It was a method no one had ever seen before.
The dying child’s body had been covered in black scales, which only peeled away days later like shed skin.
When she opened her eyes again, they were dyed a vivid red—and the fever was completely gone.
“If I had known sooner, I wouldn’t have had to use such a method. I’m sorry to say this, but your child is no longer an ordinary human. She may never be able to speak again.”
“What of it? She paid the price with her voice—that’s enough! Human or monster, as long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters. Besides, she’s stronger than most grown men now. She can spend her life protecting Your Majesty and the princess.”
“Thank you for saying that. Did you hear, Ioret? You’ve gained a steadfast friend for life.”
Ioret still remembered that day clearly—the warm smiles of the Kanzyle couple, young Bara’s precious warmth, and her mother’s relieved expression.
Mother must have known this would happen. Ever since she passed her lifespan on to me.
She had thought she had no one on her side in this world.
But that wasn’t true.
Not only her mother’s teachings, but all the connections her mother left behind were part of her inheritance.
Ioret gently stroked the girl clinging to her waist.
Bara Kanzyle.
This child would be the one truly responsible for her safety from now on.
“Bara, did you bring what I asked for?”
[Yes]
[!]
[Your order is ready]
Proudly displaying her word cards, Bara lifted a bundle from the box and placed it on the table.
There were two things Ioret had requested from the Kanzyle couple.
First, that Bara be sent to her as a maid.
And second—the item inside that bundle.
The wedding dress Ioret had sent to the Kanzyle Company spilled out at her feet like a wave.
No—
It was the same dress, yet no longer the same.
Watching, Lucian let out a quiet breath.
“Princess… I feel as though I’m seeing things.”
“No. You’re seeing it right.”
“Then surely… you don’t mean to wear that?”
Lucian looked down at her as though she were mad.
Then he forgot everything he meant to say.
Ioret was smiling—radiantly, in a way he had never seen before.
Just as expected, her wise mother’s teachings had never once been wrong.
Feeling refreshed, Ioret gave an order to the still-dazed Lucian.
“Now then, Sir—bring me the list of delegations attending tomorrow’s banquet.”
